Sunday, November 29, 2015

The Language of Thieves

it would be easy if the thief dressed like this at the job interview

In the many theft investigations I investigated or have assisted with statement analysis, there was always a form of justification in the language. It was the same in violent events, including murder. Not only was there minimization (this is where one says, "I didn't harm nobody" when murder was alleged,) but there is a justification that often slips out in the language. Even in child abuse cases, the child is often blamed if you are listening to the language. Admissions versus Confessions In interviewing, I obtain many admissions in the interview process by using the subject's own language, and by focusing the questioning at the point of greatest sensitivity, lastly, bringing him face to face with his deception, again, in his own language. It works. It takes training and it takes practice, but it works. It needs no coercion, no intrusive body posture, no high pressure tactics; in fact, it lets the subject talk freely for himself.

Legally, an admission is the same as a confession, but in language, it is vastly different.

Once someone feels like a "victim" of anything, they have a pre-made justification for their theft or violent act. With this feeling of being "cheated by someone or something", the robbery or inappropriate behavior is just a matter of time.

Statement Analysis shows employers how to spot this before the interview is even scheduled allowing companies to radically reduce theft, including theft by fraudulent suit. Over the years, a company can reduce theft to nothing, while improving morale.

The human mind seeks to justify its negative action and a "victim status" is something that actually empowers criminal or negative action.

In theft cases where I obtained admissions, the subject always expressed the status of being a "victim" of something and felt he was "owed" that which was "denied" to him.

Some examples:

A thief had an expensive shirt ruined by a mentally ill patient to which his supervisor promised him reimbursement. When no reimbursement ever came through, he "reimbursed himself" to a tune of, perhaps, 10 times the cost of the shirt.

A young woman who stole narcotics felt justified because her "doctor denied her" the "relief to my pain."

Another major drug heist was "caused by the bank holding my mortgage", said a woman who sought to retail out her large cache of narcotics.

Another was "overlooked repeatedly for promotion" while still another "wasn't promoted because of my skin color", and found a way to be alone with a supervisor in order to claim sexually harassment. One was a high school "hero" who now was just a "nobody" and felt "everyone" was to blame. In many physical child abuse cases, if the child wasn't blamed, the mother's parents were for "not respecting" the abuser.

Each of these cases had written statements, lengthy interviews, and admissions of wrong doing.

None had a confession. They all gave linguistic signals of being remorseful; sorry to have been caught. They all gave linguistic signals that they had done it before and will do it again...because they are "victims" of something outside of their control.

Even when some say, "I take full responsibility" the word "but" often enters the language and the distancing from personal responsibility begins. We listen for someone to take us from "distancing language" to the language of "victim status."

A woman who was a victim of Domestic Violence blamed her boyfriend for her crimes, even though her family had offered her a safe haven.

What is so fascinating and useful is that the 'victim status' mentality can be spotted in Statement Analysis through a written questionnaire or in the interview process.

The 'victim' will show this in the interview and if hired, it is only a matter of time before someone is going to "pay for what I have suffered", one way or another.

Victimization is real, but the new trend of informing people that they are "victims", especially to young people during impressionable formidable years is particularly dangerous for society.

Those who believe that their lack of success is due to others have an 'external' view point, if displeased (corrected, not promoted, not given enough verbal praise, not shown enough respect, etc) become like an open festering wound ready to explode upon someone.

It is the last thing a company needs.

An admission is all that is needed for court and Statement Analysis and the subsequent Analytical Interview training shows how this is to be obtained.

Where is a "confession" needed?

The training for mental health professionals takes a specific turn in this direction, including the study of the language of women who are victims of sexual assault. But for the wrong doer, including the man who controls a woman through the threat of violence, a "confession" is indispensable.

A confession would be that the subject admits to having done the crime or negative action, but adds in that it was a moral failure and takes responsibility for this failure. I urge police to seek admissions, just as I urge mental health professionals to go deeper into the realm of "confession" if the person wants to change his negative behavior.

The "confession", to be a confession must include the powerful element of "human empathy" for the victim, which is not necessary for the legal aspect but most necessary in studying recidivism.

Whatever the means of "victim status", it always impacts the mental health of the one who is "informed", verbally, socially, legally, etc, that their limitations experienced in life, or those yet to be experienced, are the results of inappropriate behavior on the part or another.

The one who is informed of this status will suffer, and those who hire them will suffer, and society will suffer. We see the "fake hate" cases in the news today, but what we don't see is just how many make fake claims against companies where a payoff is made in exchange for dropping the claim. It is epidemic in America and it is needless as "gaming the system" is a form of legalized theft.

It is another form of deception and it shifts responsibility to another, creating passivity on one hand, with feelings of impotence leading to anger, on another.

Companies need to hire the "best and brightest" but also need to screen out those who are most likely to steal, file false claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, injury, and so on.

9 comments:

Go back to 2012 and read to catch up on statements. Here's one in the comments section from the beginning..

Anonymous Anonymous said...

There ya go. Those dead eyes again. Why does no one EVER pay attention to those dead eyes that are a dead give-away?

It's just so hard for me to imagine how no one close to him ever suspected a thing, how/why his live-in g/f never suspected anything when he took off on trips or never checked into his stories about where he was going, how he could afford all his trips, what he was doing, etc., never looked into the shed in the backyard, never saw any tale-tell signs on his dirty laundry.

I don't get it with these women who pay no attention to what their husband or significiant other is doing! Don't they know that it's hard to believe half of what most men say and the other half is questionable? Not always but very often. Are they all half-wits, or what? Does it pay to have a suspicious mind in a close relationship? You're danged right it does!

December 30, 2012 at 6:55 PMAnonymous Anonymous said...

anon@6:55 Some women will sell their souls for supposed security, or go willingly blind.

"Those who believe their lack of success is due to others have an 'external' view point, if displeased (corrected, not promoted, not given enough verbal praise, not shown enough respect, etc) become like an open festering wound ready to explode upon someone."

In my work place, we've had a few like that over the years. It really drags the whole workplace down, and has really wasted so much time & money. We had one crazy who claimed "sexual harassment" against another employee. It was the early 1990's, and was immediately after our organization had put into place it's first-ever sexual harassment policy. The crazy (borderline personality disorder) couldn't WAIT to be the first, and our organization couldn't WAIT to fire the accused. It was a sad & embarrassing chapter in our company's history.

I am a mom as well and I'm confused about how to approach or discipline or discuss the issue with a child who has admitted something, but not confessed. I have a daughter who is 18 and a freshman at college (lives in dorm.) She came home for thanksgiving and smelled overwhelmingly of smoke. Might not seem like a big deal, but she spent a couple months grounded at end of her senior high school year (while 17) because I found out she had been drinking and smoking a lot with friends. She lied so often that I finally ordered medical testing strips to find out if she had nicotine or alcohol in system. We had a contract that allowed the testing and that I'd have access to her social media. She had kept to her side of the bargain for the summer and couple months of college, but blames me for causing her to be very lonely because I wouldn't let her do anything with those friends and she doesn't know how to make new friends. So she pretty much holed herself up in her bedroom and was miserable.She's never been sorry or apologetic. She says her life is rough (and it has been), and this was her way of coping even though she knows it is not a good way to cope. She is sorry she got caught. When we talk she expresses that she is sorry that I didn't notice her inner turmoil a lot earlier and intervene. I wish I had understood her depression earlier and found a psychologist earlier, but I cannot change that now. She does see one now and has weekly counseling appts. When I asked if she had been smoking and tried to give her a medical nicotine test, she became livid and attacked me verbally about being a bad mother. She then went to spend thanksgiving with her father.After reading all these posts over the last 2 weeks about narcissism and deception, it occurred to me for the first time that we might have a much bigger problem then teenage rebellion. I've already written a little about my former husband's narcissism and how it trained me to try and make everything in his life smooth so that he wouldn't explode. I am suddenly scared that my daughter is setting me up for the same reaction, that I am going to have to modify my beavior and that of her siblings so that she isn't challenged and unhappy when at home. I know I cannot or should not enable her in this way.But. How do you move a kid through the empathy path to see the effects her actions have on others? How can I help her see a different path through the mess?

What good is giving her a test when she is only visiting? Will it result in anything that is likely to change her behavior? Or, just nagging and a fight when she is wanting to spend good times with family?

Adult film actor 'James Deen' is accused on Twitter of rape by his ex-girlfriendPorn actor James Deen, 29, has been accused of rape by his ex-girlfriendStoya, who is a porn actress and writer, accused Deen - real name Bryan Sevilla - of rape Saturday in two tweets

She wrote: 'James Deen held me down and f***ed me while I said no, stop, used my safeword'It is unclear where or when the alleged rape occurred and Deen has yet to comment on her allegation

A well-known porn and film actor has been accused of rape on Twitter by his ex-girlfriend. On Saturday Bryan Sevilla, who goes by the stage name James Deen, was accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend named Stoya, who is also a porn actress and writer. Stoya took to Twitter Saturday afternoon and accused the 29-year-old actor of raping her. In her first tweet of the day, Stoya wrote: 'That thing where you log in to the internet for a second and see people idolizing the guy who raped you as a feminist. That thing sucks.'

She followed the first tweet up by naming her ex-boyfriend in a second tweet that reads: 'James Deen held me down and f***ed me while I said no, stop, used my safeword. I just can't nod and smile when people bring him up anymore.'

Stoya, 29, has not tweeted since accusing Deen of rape on Twitter. Deen has also not shared anything to Twitter since Stoya accused of him of rape.It is unclear when or where the alleged rape occurred, however, many users on Twitter sent Stoya messages of support on the social media site.

Joanna Angel, another one of Deen’s ex-girlfriends, sent her support to Stoya on Twitter writing: 'You have my support @stoya. I’m here for you.'Stoya revealed that she was dating the adult movie actor in an interview with the Huffington Post in July 2013.It's not clear exactly when or why the couple broke up. It is believed to have occurred sometime in 2014. She previously tweeted that she'd be 'mostly offline' until December 17 for work. Deen has yet to comment on her accusation.